With full focus on the Champions League final, FlaBasquete held two friendlies in São Paulo this week. On Monday (12), they faced Paulistano, at the Antonio Prado Jr Gymnasium, and on Wednesday, Mogi, at the Professor Hugo Ramos Municipal Gymnasium. 

The first game was won by Orgulho da Nação 103-65 in five eight-minute periods. In the following game, another victory for the Red-Blacks, this time 92-66 after four regular quarters and another eight-minute period. 

For Gustavo De Conti, FlaBasquete's coach, the friendlies were crucial in identifying areas to be worked on before the big Americas final. 

"Our preparation has improved a lot because, even though we train hard every day, the pace of the game is different, so this trip was really good. Paulistano and Mogi have different characteristics, and we performed very well. We improved, and best of all, we identified several flaws that we still need to correct during these training sessions to arrive on the 30th in the best possible shape," said the coach.

World champion with Flamengo in 2014, star player Olivinha also celebrated the opportunity to play matches before the Champions League final. 

"These two friendlies were very good. We needed this preparation for the Champions League; the more games we play, the better. We're already improving our chemistry, especially on these trips, since we spend a lot of time together, always in the hotel, so our on-court chemistry improves. We're getting better and better physically, always aiming for this final, so these two games helped us a lot. I think we've grown a lot as a team and are becoming increasingly prepared for this challenge," said the number 16.

Now back in Rio de Janeiro, FlaBasquete returns to training in Gávea with their sights set on the final. The final will be played on October 30th, in a single match, at the Antel Arena in Montevideo, Uruguay.